Dead woman found in Port Stanley harbour
The body of a 47-year-old woman was found by police divers within a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser at the bottom of Port Stanley harbour at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8.
The car had left the road and entered the water of Port Stanley harbour at about 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7.
Elgin County Ontario Provincial Police Constable Adam Crewdson said the vehicle entered the harbour from the east side of the mouth of Kettle Creek south of Jackson’s Fish Market at the end of Main Street.
He said a witness called 9-1-1 about the vehicle entering the water.
“A person on the west side of the pier heard a vehicle revving (its engine) and then heard a crashing noise and a splash in the water,” Const. Crewdson said.
The witness gave “no indication of someone exiting the vehicle,” Const. Crewdson said, quickly adding “it was very dark at the time.”
“At this time in the investigation, no foul play is suspected,” Const. Crewdson said after the woman’s body was recovered.
The OPP’s Underwater Search and Recovery Team arrived in the early afternoon of Wednesday, March 8 and later dived into the water to locate the dead woman within the car.
Central Elgin firefighters and Elgin St. Thomas Emergency Medical Services paramedics were also at the scene on Tuesday night.
A nautical chart of the area indicates the water depth in that part of Port Stanley harbour is between 15 and 18 feet, Const. Crewdson said.
This photo of the scene taken on Wednesday afternoon, March 8 shows tracks from the vehicle leading to the water’s edge that are framed by police evidence markers.
A buoy seen floating in the water in the background on the left side served as a marker showing where the vehicle was located on the bottom of the harbour.
The OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Team vehicle can be seen in the background on the other side of the harbour.
Police divers entered the water despite the high winds with gusts between 60 and 90 kilometres an hour that made for choppy conditions in the harbour.